August 18, 2013

Recipe for Play - Rainbow Sand Slime

We love slime. Love it. We always have at least one batch of slime on hand, sometimes more than one. We use a very basic, no cook slime recipe that only calls for two ingredients. The base recipe is so simple, and then the possibilities for adding textures and colors and other goodies are endless. One of the many reasons this slime recipe is one of our favorite recipes for play is that it lasts for months and months. We love sensory materials that last, so we can extend their use and stick to a reasonable play budget. Since the boys had so much fun with our homemade sand paint I thought it would be fun to use the sand to make rainbow sand slime.

Directions: In the past JZ (6) and J-Bug (4) have helped me mix our homemade slime and silly putty. Mixing by hand adds to the sensory experience, and it is fun feeling the moment that the two elements combine and form slime. However, I discovered by accident that these two ingredients do not need to be mixed and kneaded to create slime! I poured the liquid starch and clear glue into a bowl then went to grab the craft sand. I got distracted, and it ended up being about ten minutes before I got back to the mixture. I had not touched it at all after pouring into the bowl. When I came back to it I realized I should start mixing. I grabbed it, and the slime literally pulled up together as pictured above. This slime recipe seriously could not be any more simple!

Troubleshooting: We use equal amounts of glue and starch, but I don't measure. If the slime is too runny, add more glue. If it is too sticky, add more starch. Without mixing by hand there might be some lumps, but those will go away during play as the slime is handled more. If you want to add color, I suggest adding it immediately. We have used food coloring, liquid watercolors, or tempura paint and have success with each method.

With the slime set and ready to go I set out the bowl of slime next to containers of craft sand and invited JZ to create rainbow sand slime.

I figured he would use all the sand I set out, so I only filled the containers a small amount.

After pouring all the sand into the slime, JZ dug in and started to combine it all with his hands.

As he mixed he described the gritty texture. He commented on how the different colors looked as the mixed together.

Before long I had to put my camera down and start playing too. This slime is awesome. The unique texture felt so cool. I kept rubbing it between my fingers.